Roles and Permissions

The Roles and Permissions feature in the Website Builder allows you to control who can access different parts of your application and what actions they can perform. This is essential for building secure, multi-user applications.

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Overview

Roles and Permissions enable you to:

• Define user roles with specific access levels
• Control page access based on user role
• Show/hide content for different user types
• Restrict actions based on permissions

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Understanding Roles

What is a Role?

A role is a named set of permissions that can be assigned to users:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      ROLE HIERARCHY                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                              │
│   ┌──────────────────┐                                      │
│   │      ADMIN       │  ← Full access to everything         │
│   └────────┬─────────┘                                      │
│            │                                                 │
│   ┌────────┴─────────┐                                      │
│   │    FACILITATOR   │  ← Manage content and users          │
│   └────────┬─────────┘                                      │
│            │                                                 │
│   ┌────────┴─────────┐                                      │
│   │    PARTICIPANT   │  ← View and interact with content    │
│   └────────┬─────────┘                                      │
│            │                                                 │
│   ┌────────┴─────────┐                                      │
│   │      GUEST       │  ← Limited view-only access          │
│   └──────────────────┘                                      │
│                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Default Roles

ACENji provides default roles that can be used or customized:

Role	Description	Typical Permissions
Admin	Full system access	All permissions
Facilitator	Content management	Create, edit, view
Participant	Standard user	View, submit forms
Guest	Limited access	View only

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Configuring Roles

Accessing Role Settings

1. Open your project settings
2. Navigate to Roles and Permissions
3. View and manage available roles

Creating a Custom Role

1. Click "Add Role"
2. Enter a role name
3. Configure permissions
4. Save the role

Role Properties

Property	Description
Name	Role identifier
Description	What this role is for
Permissions	List of granted permissions
Inherits From	Parent role to inherit permissions

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Permissions

Permissions define specific actions users can take:

Content Permissions

Permission	Description
View Content	See pages and content
Edit Content	Modify content
Create Content	Add new content
Delete Content	Remove content

User Permissions

Permission	Description
View Users	See user list
Edit Users	Modify user profiles
Create Users	Add new users
Delete Users	Remove users

Data Permissions

Permission	Description
View Data	Read database records
Edit Data	Modify records
Create Data	Add new records
Delete Data	Remove records
Export Data	Download data

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Page-Level Access Control

Restricting Page Access

1. Select a page in the builder
2. Open page settings
3. Find Access Control section
4. Select which roles can access

Access Options

Option	Description
Public	Anyone can view
Authenticated	Any logged-in user
Specific Roles	Only selected roles
Custom Condition	Based on variable/condition

Example Configuration

Page: Admin Dashboard
Access: Specific Roles
Allowed Roles: [Admin, Facilitator]

Result: Only admins and facilitators can view this page

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Element-Level Permissions

Control visibility and interaction at the element level:

Showing/Hiding Elements

1. Select the element
2. Open Conditions section
3. Add a role-based condition

Example

Element: Delete Button
Condition: Show only if user.role == "Admin"

Result: Only admins see the delete button

Enabling/Disabling Elements

Element: Edit Button
Condition: Enable if user.role in ["Admin", "Facilitator"]

Result: Button is disabled for participants/guests

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Tile-Level Permissions

Control entire tiles based on roles:

Tile Visibility

Tile: Management Panel
Visibility: user.role == "Admin"

Result: Management panel only shows for admins

Tile Access

Tile: User Profile Form
Edit Permission: user.role in ["Admin", "Facilitator"] OR user.id == profile.userId

Result: Admins/facilitators can edit any profile
        Users can edit their own profile

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Role Assignment

Manual Assignment

1. Go to user management
2. Select a user
3. Assign role(s)
4. Save changes

Automatic Assignment

Set default role for new users:

Setting: Default Role
Value: "Participant"

Result: New users automatically get Participant role

Dynamic Role Assignment

Based on conditions or data:

IF user.subscription == "Premium"
THEN Assign "Premium Member" role

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Role-Based Navigation

Conditional Navigation Items

Show different navigation based on role:

Navigation Menu:
├── Home (all roles)
├── Dashboard (authenticated)
├── Reports (Facilitator, Admin)
├── Settings (Admin only)
└── Logout (authenticated)

Redirect Based on Role

After Login:
IF user.role == "Admin"
  → Redirect to Admin Dashboard
ELSE IF user.role == "Facilitator"
  → Redirect to Facilitator Dashboard
ELSE
  → Redirect to User Home

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Common Patterns

Admin-Only Features

Page: System Settings
Access: Admin role only

Elements:
- All visible to Admin
- Hidden for other roles

Self-Service Access

User Profile Page
Access: Authenticated users

Conditions:
- View own data: Always
- Edit own data: Always
- View others' data: Facilitator, Admin
- Edit others' data: Admin only

Tiered Access

Free User: Basic content
Premium User: All content + extra features
Enterprise User: Premium + admin tools

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Best Practices

1. Start with least privilege - Give minimum necessary permissions

2. Use role inheritance - Build on base roles

3. Keep roles simple - Fewer roles are easier to manage

4. Document roles - Explain what each role can do

5. Test thoroughly - Verify access with test accounts

6. Review regularly - Audit roles and permissions periodically

7. Handle edge cases - Consider what happens with no role

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Troubleshooting

User Can't Access Page

• Verify user has correct role
• Check page access settings
• Review any conditions that might block access

Element Not Showing

• Check element visibility conditions
• Verify role-based conditions
• Test with a user who should see it

Too Much Access

• Review role permissions
• Check for overly broad conditions
• Audit what each role can access

Role Not Saving

• Check for validation errors
• Ensure role name is unique
• Verify permissions are valid

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Questions?

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Alternatively, you can submit an issue on this platform.

Useful Links:

Website Builder - https://help.acenji.com/#/./create-web-application/website-builder/index Conditions Section - https://help.acenji.com/#/./create-web-application/website-builder/floating-design-panel/conditions-section/index User Roles - https://help.acenji.com/#/./getting-started/user-roles/index

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